Thursday, September 08, 2011

LONGVIEW, Wash. — Hundreds of Longshoremen stormed the Port of Longviewearly Thursday, overpowered and held security guards, damaged railroadcars, and dumped grain that is the center of a labor dispute, saidLongview Police Chief Jim Duscha.

Six guards were held hostage for a couple of hours after 500 or moreLongshoremen broke down gates about 4:30 a.m. and smashed windows in theguard shack, he said.

No one was hurt, and nobody has been arrested. Most of the protestersreturned to their union hall after cutting brake lines and spilling grainfrom car at the EGT terminal, Duscha said.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union believes it has the rightto work at the facility, but the company has hired a contractor that'sstaffing a workforce of other union laborers.

Thursday's violence was first reported by Kelso radio station KLOG.

Police from several agencies in southwest Washington, the Washington StatePatrol and Burlington Northern Santa Fe responded to the violence tosecure the scene that followed a demonstration Wednesday.

"We're not surprised," Duscha said. "A lot of the protesters were tellingus this in only the start."

One sergeant was threatened with baseball bats and retreated, Duscha said."One officer with hundreds of Longshoremen? He used the better part ofdiscretion."

The train was the first grain shipment to arrive at Longview. It arrivedWednesday night after police arrested 19 demonstrators who tried to blockthe tracks. They were led by ILWU International President RobertMcEllrath, who said they would return.

The blockade appeared to defy a federal restraining order issued last weekagainst the union after it was accused of assaults and death threats.

EGT chief executive Larry Clarke said it was unfortunate that lawenforcement needed to make arrests.